Rangers Hear Tiger Roaring in Protected Area in Oddar Meanchey

A group of forest rangers at Oddar Meanchey province has overheard tiger’s roars � a rare incident indicating the existence of the endangered animal.

The update was shared yesterday in a news release from the Ministry of Environment, adding that the roaring sound was heard in Banteay Chmar protection area of the province where the rangers were camping.

The rangers heard the sound at around 7:30 o’clock in the evening on Jan. 6, and presumably the tiger was about 20 to 30 metres away from the team.

The last record of tiger in Cambodia was made in November 2007 at Srepok Wildlife Sanctuary, Mondulkiri province.

The extinction of tiger from Cambodia was largely due to civil war, and poaching.

Acknowledging the species’ functional extinction from Cambodia, tiger reintroduction was identified as a critical action in the Cambodia Tiger Action Plan (CTAP), and Cambodia became the first country to acknowledge 21st century national extirpation of tigers and to develop clear steps for recovery.

This commitment was reaffirmed by Prime Minister Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen in August 2017 at the Second National Forum on Protection and Conservation of Natural Resources.

The Prime Minister also instructed the Ministry of Environment to work with other relevant government agencies and conservation partners to come up with a planning to protect and increase the number of tigers in Cambodia.

Two potential tiger reintroduction locations have been identified: the Cardamom Rainforest Landscape in Koh Kong province and the Eastern Plains Landscape in Mondulkiri province.